Preparations for Touring

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Heuer
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#1 Preparations for Touring

Post by Heuer » Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:46 pm

Someone suggested I create a second list of things to do and check before you leave home on a tour. This has regime stood me in good stead:

1. Spanner check - go over every nut and bolt on the car and check for tightness. This includes the wheel spokes - all 288 of them!

2. Check engine oil level. Replace oil and filter every year or 3,000 miles.

3. Check differential oil level. Replace every two years. Do not forget the bottle of Jaguar diff additive.

4. Check gearbox oil level. Replace every two years.

5. Check brake pads for wear, especially the rears. If they are more than one thirds worn replace them as the pad acts as an insulator. Worn pad = overheating brakes/fluid. Pads are cheap, the effects of boiling brake fluid are not!

6. Check brake fluid level and hoses. Replace every two years (discoloured fluid = seals or flexible hoses shot).

7. Check clutch fluid level, hosesl and slave cylinder free play adjustment. Replace fluid every two years (discoloured fluid = seals or flexible hoses shot).

8. Check coolant level. Replace every two years and flush system. Add BarLeaks, Jaguar did. Add a bottle of Water Wetter to aid cooling.

9. Check all hoses for cracks or deterioration - replace any that are suspect. Maximum life is about 5 years for rubber/kevlar. Check fan belt and carry a spare.

10. Clean all fuel filters - SU filters, filter bowl and tank filter.

11. Check tyres - replace if more than 6/8 years old regardless of wear.

12. Check pressures (including the spare) - on modern radials you need to be running 34 - 36 psi for high speed touring.

13. Check plug gaps. Replace plugs every 5 years (they are so cheap they are not even worth cleaning!).

14. Check SU damper oil level.

15. Tune carbs checking for leaks and sticking floats or needles.

16. Grease all nipples, wheel bearings and any other moving parts

17. Keep your battery on a plug-in CTEK trickle charger when car not in use, it will greatly extend its life. Replace battery every 4 -5 years if it is lead acid.

18. Check ignition leads for deterioration or damage (watch engine running in the dark to see if there is arcing). Replace ignition leads and plug caps every 5 years regardless. Ditto distributor cap.

19. Check operation of the cooling fan. Make sure it does indeed switch on.

20. Put Rain-X on the windscreen and Rain-X additive in the washer bottle. Over 60mph you won't need wipers which helps keep the load off the electrical system.

21. Check your toolkit and jack. If you have a problem in Europe local garages will not have Imperial spanners/sockets.

22. Remove the wheels. Some people hammer on the spinners so tight you can't get them off - not nice on the side of the road.

Do not do any of this the night before you leave! Take the car out for several long, local, runs (remember that Mobile phone) as a shakedown. Use your ears. Then check everything again.

Feel free to add any other tips. Have fun.

David
Last edited by Heuer on Fri Jun 04, 2010 9:06 am, edited 3 times in total.
David Jones
S1 OTS OSB; S1 FHC ODB
1997 Porsche 911 Guards Red

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Nick
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#2

Post by Nick » Thu Jun 03, 2010 9:28 pm

David,

Regarding wire wheels what size spoke spanner do you use for the nipples ?

Nick L.

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#3

Post by Heuer » Thu Jun 03, 2010 9:55 pm

Nick

Can't remember - I just used one that fitted from my one of my AF sets on the MWS spokes. I will check tomorrow but given I now have Borrani wire wheels it is likely they will be different.
David Jones
S1 OTS OSB; S1 FHC ODB
1997 Porsche 911 Guards Red

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daverawle
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#4

Post by daverawle » Thu Jun 03, 2010 10:11 pm

Take care, if you have tubeless wheels adjusting the spokes means you will need to fit tubes.

Dave
1963 OTS

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#5

Post by Nick » Thu Jun 03, 2010 10:44 pm

Belay my request, after a bit of surfing it seems to be 1/4" A/F.

Perhaps looking for any broken spokes is the main thing to check for.

Nick L.

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pmansson
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#6

Post by pmansson » Sat Oct 02, 2010 10:05 pm

Changing the gearbox oil every 2 years....
Never heard of that one before..!!!

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